Letter from Hattie "To Whom It May Concern," July 18, 1869

Letter from Hattie "To Whom It May Concern," July 18, 1869

Parcel post; Gifts; Silk; Customhouses

This is a letter from Harriet Noyes 'To Whom it may concern,' which can be understood as any member of her family. It is shorter than other letters, at two pages, and based on content, would have served as an accompaniment to a box of presents. Some of the items described in the note include buttons, silk, and pins. Harriet briefly notes the cost of the Custom House, but, in general, the letter serves to detail what should be with it when it arrives in Ohio.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1

Unpublished

1869-07-18

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_030

Canton China.
July 18th /69
To Whom it may concern,
We send by this mail
this little box of little things hoping
it will reach you safely & wishing
that it was multiplied a hundred
fold. There are so many pretty things
in the shops here that it almost makes
me feel unhappy when I see them to
think I cannot buy + send home
all that I would like to. These
little ivory pins we can get for 50 cts
apiece. We send one for each of the
sisterhood. The pearl collar
buttons Henry finds so convenient
that he wants the brethren Edward
Frank Emory + Cyrus. The shirt
binding is made with a button hole
at each end + this fastens it +
is just right to button the collar
on. Some of the gentlemen here

do not wear any neck tie making
the button answer. We expected to
send by Mr Nevin & would have
filled a [u]larger box[/u] but as he has
given up going home this summer
we will trust it to Uncle Sam's
care as we want it to reach home
[u]before sometime[/u]. I send a bit of silk
like a dress I bought in the spring it is
used a great deal here about calico width
& 50 cts a yard. I had quite set my heart
on sending some of it home for Mr Cranes
& Mr Noyes' girls but the duty on silk is so
high that it costs nearly twice its value
to get it through the custom house so I
suppose it would be worth while to send
it. The pins you will find very dull but I
expect Frank will sharpen them for you.
Perhaps you will wear them first on
Matties [u]day[/u] & if I find out when that is
in time I will wear mine for I have one too
just like them & Henry keeps one of the collars buttons

[Note: Written clockwise rotated on the second page in margins]
I am afraid Emily Elliott will not want to wear a white pin I wonder
if she
could
not get
it stained
black.
The bit
of green
is like
our new
mosquito
curtains
we paid
$ 7.00
a piece
for them.
They are
a necessity
here.
Your own
loving
Hattie



中国广州。
1869 年 7 月 18 日
它可能与谁有关，
我们通过这封邮件发送这个小盒子，
希望它能够安全地送到您手中，
并希望它增加了一百倍。
这里的商店里有很多漂亮的东西，
当我看到它们时，
我几乎不高兴地认为我不能买我想要的所有东西并寄回家。
我们可以花 50 美分买到这些小象牙别针。
我们为每个姐妹派一个。
珍珠领扣亨利觉得很方便，
以至于他想要兄弟爱德华弗兰克埃默里和赛勒斯。
衬衫包边在每一端都有一个扣眼，
这样可以固定它，
正好可以扣上领子。
这里的一些绅士不系任何领带来做纽扣回答。
我们原以为 Nevin 先生会寄来一个更大的盒子，
但由于他今年夏天已经放弃回家，
我们将把它交给山姆大叔的照顾，
因为我们希望它在某个时间之前到达家中。
我送了一点丝绸，
就像我春天买的一件裙子一样，
这里用得很多，
大约印花布宽度和每码 50 美分。
我非常决定将其中一些寄回家给 Cranes 先生和 Noyes 先生的女孩，
但丝绸的关税如此之高，
以至于通过海关的成本几乎是其价值的两倍，
所以我认为这是值得的发送它。
你会发现这些别针很钝，
但我希望弗兰克会为你磨尖它们。
也许你会在 Matties 日第一次穿它们，
如果我及时发现我会穿我的，
因为我也有一个，
就像他们一样，
亨利保留了一个衣领纽扣
[注：在第二页上顺时针旋转写在margins]
恐怕 Emily Elliott 不想戴白色别针我想知道她是否不能把它染成黑色。
一点绿色就像我们的新蚊帐，
我们花了 7.00 美元买了它们。
它们是这里的必需品。
来自，
海蒂

Letter